Bruce Hornsby is a Renaissance man when it comes to musical styles. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987 with his band The Range after his hits chart-topping pop-rock singles “The Way It Is” (the title song from the triple-platinum album) and “Mandolin Rain.”

Three years later, he won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording for reworking his hit “The Valley Road” with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Three years after that won the Best Pop Instrumental Grammy for “Barcelona Mona” from his first solo disc. He also was in The Grateful Dead for two years, and plays jazz with his Bruce Hornsby Trio.

But perhaps his diverse projects dilutes his audience. He hasn’t had a high-charting single since 1990 or a Top 50 album since 1993.

How does a band without a record contract get Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and pop superstar Bruno Mars to help with writing an album? Ask Las Vegas’ The Cab, which performed that feat for its 2011 disc “Symphony Soldier.”

Of course, the band did have a record contract for its debut disc, 2008’s “Whisper War,” which got it designated Alternative Press magazine’s Band You Need to Know for that year. But it chose to go indie for its sophomore disc, and it’s gotten rave reviews, called a masterpiece by the web zine AbsolutePunk.

Bonus for the band’s current tour: Opening is He Is We, whose single “Happily Ever After” was picked as Song of the Year by Billboard’s Chart Beat column.

Wisconsin-born Josh Thompson looked like a new force in country when his debut single “Beer on the Table” went Top 20 in 2009 and the follow-up, “Way Out Here,” the title track from his debut album, did even better in early 2010, reaching Top 15 and even crossing over to the Hot 100 chart.

The album hit No. 9 and Thompson toured with Eric Church and Brad Paisley, and wrote for Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley.

But his last two singles, “Comin’ Around” and “Change,” the title of his upcoming sophomore disc, both barely broke the Top 50. So is he a hot new artist or flash in the pan? You decide.

Throughout his more-than-65-year career, Dr. Ralph Stanley has found many ways to connect with fans again and again.

First by having a high, lonesome voice able to hit on the haunting melodies he wrote and sang. Then by forming the Clinch Mountain Boys with his brother Carter in 1946 and helping bring the mountain style of bluegrass to the mainstream audiences.

Then by appearing on 170 albums and winning three Grammy Awards.

And finally, in 2000, by singing the Appalachian dirge "O Death" on the hit soundtrack to the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou." The song won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and at 75, introduced him to a whole new generation of fans.

Now 84 (he turns 85 on Feb. 25), Stanley continues to make important music. Five of his last six discs since then have made the Top 10 on the Bluegrass chart (2009's "Old Time Pickin': A Clawhammer Banjo Collection" peaked at No. 12). His newest, "A Mother's Prayer," debuted at No. 6 on April 19.

When Citizen Cope, nee Clarence Greewood, released his self-titled major label debut in 2002, Rolling Stone magazine said he “melds hip-hop with folk, soul and blues...and 'feels' this combination deeply.”

A decade later, that description still is valid, even if Cope hasn’t become the hit his talent would lead you to believe he deserves. After struggling with three major record labels (only one of his discs, 2006’s “Every Waking Moment,” even charted, low on Billboard’s list.)

Cope finally went indie in 2010, and the first disc on his own Rainwater Recordings made the Top 30 Rock Albums chart, was critically acclaimed and got him invited onto the Ellen DeGeneres show to sing “Healing Hands.” He’s now said to be working on a new disc for release this year.

Lisa Lisa, 10 p.m. Feb. 11, Main Gate nightclub, 448 N. 17th St, Allentown.Tickets: $5, $8 after 9:30. Over-21 show. www.maingateclub.com, 610-776-7711. Lisa Lisa's 1985 smash "I Wonder If I Take You Home" often is cited as the breakthrough hit for freestyle, the Latin electronic genre that ruled radio in the late '80s and early '90s. With her backing duo, Cult Jam, Lisa Velez was far better than just a musical trend. “Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion" had great pop grooves and lyrics that resonated with the urban teen. Both crossed over to No. 1 hits and 10 of Lisa Lisa's songs were Top 10 on one Billboard chart or another before freestyle waned.

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JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.